Salaar: In the realm of pan-India filmmaking, it has become a trend for directors to incorporate renowned actors from various film industries, particularly Bollywood, into their projects. Filmmakers like Rajamouli, for instance, often enlist big names such as Ajay Devgan and Alia Bhatt for wider appeal. However, Prashanth Neel, the director of ‘Salaar,’ holds a distinct perspective on this practice.
Except for veteran actor Tinu Anand, the star cast of Salaar lacks any Bollywood presence. The ensemble includes Prabhas, Jagapathi Babu, Prithviraj, Shruti Haasan, Bobby Simha, and Shreya Reddy, with a majority hailing from the Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam film industries. Addressing this aspect, Prashanth Neel emphasized the importance of creating a world in the film that resonates believably with the native audience, while ensuring that the drama possesses universal appeal across the country.
Prashanth Neel underscores the key to achieving pan-India success in filmmaking: winning over the local audience first. Throughout the entire process of crafting Salaar, he adopted an approach akin to making a Telugu film, acknowledging the film’s broader marketing appeal due to the success of previous ventures like KGF and Baahubali.
Every visionary filmmaker possesses a distinctive approach to crafting, casting, and presenting their work, and Prashanth Neel stands out as a true gem in this regard.